SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Gastrointestinal Cancers: Colorectal Cancer
This article is part of the Research TopicAltered Metabolic Traits in Gastrointestinal Tract Cancers, volume IIView all 7 articles
Association between triglyceride-glucose index and risk of colorectal carcinogenesis: A meta-analysis of observational studies
Provisionally accepted
- 1Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China
- 2Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
- 3Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Region, China
- 4China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, China
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Background: The relationship between the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and the risk of colorectal carcinogenesis, encompassing both colorectal adenomas and carcinoma, is not yet definitively established. This meta-analysis aims to synthesize available evidence to provide a comprehensive estimate of the association between the TyG index and the likelihood of this disease spectrum. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and Scopus to identify studies examining the TyG index and colorectal carcinogenesis risk. Meta-analysis was performed to calculate effect sizes (ESs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to obtain a summary estimate. Results: A total of nine observational studies involving 1,056,401 participants were included in the analysis. The meta-analysis revealed that a continuous increase in the TyG index was associated with an elevated risk of colorectal carcinogenesis (ES, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.05-1.34). Similarly, a one-unit increase in the TyG index was linked to an increased risk of colorectal carcinogenesis (ES, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.15-1.32). Additionally, compared to the lowest quartile, the second (ES, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02-1.13), third (ES, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.06-1.18), and highest quartile (ES, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.13-1.24) of the TyG index exhibited a significantly higher risk of colorectal carcinogenesis. Conclusion: This meta-analysis demonstrates a significant association between the TyG index and colorectal carcinogenesis, suggesting that the TyG index could serve as a convenient and reliable surrogate marker for identifying individuals at risk. These findings may inform screening and prevention strategies targeting the full spectrum of colorectal neoplasia. Standardization of TyG index cutoffs and validation in diverse populations are warranted.
Keywords: Triglyceride-glucose index, Colorectal carcinogenesis, Surrogate marker, Meta-analysis, risk factor
Received: 17 Jun 2025; Accepted: 27 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Lin, Liao and Shen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jinhai Shen
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